FRIDAY FAVES: For Mamas + Littles

Long ago and far away in the childless land of yesteryear, I would often do round-ups of my favorite things here on this blog. I think it was called “My Favorite Little Things” or “Little Things I’m Loving”…I can’t really recall now because: mom brain. Whatever the case, it’s been a good long while since I’ve done one, so I thought I’d share some current favorites for both mamas and littles.

FOR MAMA:

1. Fizzy bubbles for the witching hour. This white wine is my current favorite – just the perfect amount of sweet and fizzy…totally my jam. Craig bought me a bottle for my birthday and I’ve bought myself a bottle every week since. The bottle is so pretty and I love that it’s easily sealed so I can enjoy it over the course of a few days.

2. My own personal fitness cheerleader. I’ve always loved the idea of those fitness tracker watches, but never really considered getting one, because they’re usually a bit too sporty looking for my liking. This Withings one is perfect, because it just looks like a really cool, minimalist watch. So far I’ve learned that I am far less active than I had anticipated (despite the fact that I’m chasing children around all day), but the good news is I’m getting the encouragement to step my game up. I haven’t gotten brave enough to let it track my sleep…with the whack-a-mole-esque, 3 child sleeping situation around here, I’d kind of just rather live in ignorantly, sleepy bliss for now.

3. This life-giving book. I am a big Shauna Niequist fan and was so excited to order her newest book and it has not disappointed. I’m about 2/3 of the way through and I feel like she is speaking directly to my Type-A frazzled soul and giving me permission to let go of things and be more present. So good.

4. Fancy + functional ear buds. These Sudio Sweden wireless ear buds are kind of the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve been really into podcasts lately (feel free to share some of your favorites with me!), but listening to them during nap time is kind of a pain, because I can’t listen to it loud enough to hear it in other rooms while I’m cleaning/working/etc. I tried regular earbuds so I could carry my phone around with me and listen, but I didn’t have anywhere to stash my phone if I was wearing a dress or leggings (i.e. no pockets) and I was forever getting the wires tangled around broom handles and the like. These make it super easy…and they’re real pretty.

5. Something nice to cover up the smell of baby puke. This perfume is totally dreamy, but even better it’s totally inexpensive too! I discovered it while randomly perusing Urban Outfitters recently (in other news I am totally getting old for that store…). I spritzed some on and fell in love. I’m usually into deeper, more musky fragrances (think: amber/sandalwood/vetiver), but this is lovely, light and feminine without being cloyingly sweet and floral-y.

6. My new favorite lipstick. It is no secret that I am a lover of lipstick and I wear it pretty much every day. A good bold red or pink lip is my jam, but sometimes it feels like a little bit much when you’re just going to the park with kids in your jogger pants, you know? This Generation G lipstick by Glossier is perfect for everyday. Subtly stained, matte-finished lips that look like you just ate a popsicle…only better. I had to be on a waitlist for months to finally get it, but now I’m obsessed! (FYI, my color du jour is “crush”).

8. For avoiding awkward situations. I’ll be honest…nursing pads are not my fave. Reusables aren’t my favorite and disposables are usually thick and loud and crinkly. Because of this (and since I don’t leak super often) I generally just skip them and hope for the best. But, after staining one too many shirts and bed sheets with breast milk, I decided it was time to suck it up and break out the nursing pads. Munchkin sent me some along with other baby items, so I finally gave them a try and they’re great! Super thin (apparently 5x thinner according to the package) and not loud or crinkly. I’m a fan.

9. For my postpartum mom bod. These jeggings were pretty much invented for postpartum mom bods. Typically I steer clear of jeggings, because I just can’t get beyond thinking of those Pajama Jeans late night informercials. But, upon finally wearing a hole in the maternity jeans that I was still milking every last wear out of, I was desperate for new jeans and didn’t want to spend a fortune, so when Old Navy and their genius marketing team sent me an e-mail about them, I decided to give them a try. When I read the words “built-in sculpt”, I was sold. I had no idea what “sculpt” was, but I knew I needed it in my life. I still don’t know what sculpt is, but whatever it is, it makes these jeans super great. They have a grandma elastic waistband, but I’m totally willing to overlook it because, they are freaking comfortable and still look like actual jeans and not pajamas.

FOR THE LITTLES:

1. Baby sleep magic.You’ve probably heard of the DockATot by now, but pretty much if you have a baby who isn’t the best sleeper, you need this in your life. I’m planning an entire post about this thing, but seriously…it is worth every penny (even though they cost a whole lot of pennies) for your sleep/sanity.

2. Baby sleep magic part 2. I have probably tried just about every swaddle out there (I am only slightly exaggerating) and this is far and away my most favorite.

3. Best/most boob-like baby bottle in all the land. – I wrote more about these Munchkin LATCH baby bottles here, but basically they’re fantastic. I’ve tried a ton of baby bottles and this one is definitely the most boob-like and thus more likely to be favored by breastfed babies. We’ve tried others that have the look of a breast, but are lacking in the function area. These move and flex and empty more like an actual breast. You can read more about them in my aforementioned post, but seriously, these are wonderful.

4. Legos that we all like. I’m not gonna lie…I’m kind of a Lego hater. I’ve never been good at them so I hadn’t really encouraged them a ton. Fern had been given a couple of the larger style Lego sets, but had never really been into them because, she always wanted it to look “just like the box” but she was too little to actually figure out how to build things herself and I couldn’t always sit there and build everything for her. She also never really cared about building the structures – more about playing pretend with the little Lego people. This Lego City “Fun in the Park” set is perfect for both of us though. A bunch of small, easy, stand-alone pieces to build (i.e. a merry-go-round, a park bench, etc.) so she can follow the directions and build them herself. There are also a ton of people and she loves mixing and matching the hair and clothes. It’s a perfect toy to bring along when we go to restaurants or other places where I need her to be occupied.

5. For making mealtime more adventurous/fun. – It’s super easy to get lazy about mealtime, so having a snack tray with five slots encourages me to think outside of the PB&J box and to remember to squeeze in more food groups. The kids like seeing what’s in each compartment and it makes trying carrots a little more fun.

6. A new favorite snack. – Oh Trader Joe’s and your impulse snack buys…you get me every time! These little dried bananas are a great, sweet snack, but also on the healthier side, because they are literally JUST bananas – nothing extra. My kid love them and the pouch is resealable, so easy to toss in my bag.

7. For warding off kid meltdowns. – A couple of months ago, I was lamenting the drama and meltdowns that have become my life with a 4 and 2-year-old to a friend of mine who just-so-happens to be a Kindergarten teacher. She suggested these sand timers to help alleviate frustrations during transitions. This was a set that includes a few different times (30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes). They aren’t the sturdiest if you plan on letting your kids play with them as well, but I keep them in a drawer to pull out when needed so they do just fine (there are a ton of other options on Amazon too). I’ll pull them out so the kids have a concrete visual when I say “5 more minutes ’til bedtime” or “2 more minutes ’til clean up!” I also sometimes use them for “time-ins” – when I have the kids take a break from an activity that they are bickering over. The 2-minute timer has been the most used in case you’re looking to get a more quality timer, but aren’t sure what amount of time to get.

What are some favorites you’re loving lately? I’d love to hear!

xo

Lauren

*This post was created in partnership with Munchkin. All thoughts and opinions are my own.